As the 2007 Giants gathered this weekend for festivities honoring the 10-year anniversary of the stunning Super Bowl XLII upset of the then-unbeaten Patriots — including what is sure to be a rousing halftime ceremony — Shaun O’Hara was and will be in the middle of the action, just as he was a decade ago, snapping the ball to Eli Manning as the Giants’ starting center. Once a teammate, O’Hara remains a close friend of the franchise quarterback.

That friendship is the reason O’Hara took a look at his buddy laboring in a desultory season-opening loss to the Cowboys and said, “It’s tough to see. I feel bad for Eli.’’

What Manning endured was not easy on the eyes. He was sacked on the third play of what degenerated into a 19-3 loss, done in by a shaky offensive line, no semblance of a running game, and Odell Beckham Jr. on the sideline because of a still-injured high left ankle sprain. The Giants on offense accomplished next to nothing, which is why they take an 0-1 record into their MetLife Stadium opener with the Lions, a “Monday Night Football” showcase that could be another nationally televised reminder of how poorly some of Manning’s offensive linemen are at doing their job.

“All you have to do is just watch his feet,’’ O’Hara told The Post. “When you see a quarterback who can stand in the pocket and can put both feet in the ground, he’s gonna be more accurate, he’s gonna be more confident. Eli can’t do that. His feet were all over the place. It just looks like he’s not comfortable stepping up into the pocket and trusting that he’s not going to get hit as he’s throwing the ball. The pocket’s not as clean as it should be.

“Look, in the NFL you’re not gonna have clean pockets. You have to make throws with dirty pockets, that’s just the way it is. I think he realizes that and that’s why he always says, ‘I got to find a way to make a play.’ He never is gonna throw anybody under the bus.’’

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Sure enough, Manning was offered numerous openings to slam his offensive line this past week and never swung that door open the slightest crack.

“I have to play better,’’ Manning said. “I can make some better decisions on some things. So I can do my part to help us out, get things going. When the guys get off to a slow start, that’s when the leader has to step up and do their part.’’

Manning and the Giants could certainly use Beckham, even a less-than-100 percent Beckham, against the Lions, who took care of business in their opener, coming back to beat the Cardinals 24-10 in Detroit.

“Odell has been the Febreze for this offense,’’ O’Hara said. “He has covered up so much, just by being able to make one play and it’s ‘Oh, everything’s great.’ Not having him just really uncovered the inefficiency across the board.’’

Marquee matchup

Lions WR Kenny Golladay vs. Giants CB Eli Apple

This is a passing team invading MetLife Stadium. Figure Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will be in Golden Tate’s back pocket in a major slot battle and Janoris Jenkins (if he’s healthy enough — he’s questionable with hand and ankle issues) will be assigned Marvin Jones on the outside. That leaves the taller Apple (he’s 6-foot-1) to track the even taller (6-4) Golladay. The rookie from Northern Illinois had a huge NFL debut last week, torching the Cardinals with a four-catch, 69-yard, two-touchdown outing. Apple had a great summer when he was on the field. He missed time dealing with two slightly sprained ankles and he was rusty in the opener. Dak Prescott targeted Apple early and often and, according to Pro Football Focus, Apple allowed 10 receptions for 123 yards and one touchdown. The Giants expect a big year out of Apple, but his start was suspect. “Yeah, Golladay,’’ Apple said. “I actually played against him in college. He’s a tall receiver. Great deep threat. So he’s going to be a great challenge for us. They have a pretty great receiving core. It’s going to be a great matchup, I think, and we are looking forward to it.’’

Kenny Golladay (left) and Eli AppleAP; Joseph E. Amaturo

Four downs

Money man Matt: The Giants know they did not see the best of Matt Stafford last December, when they held him in check (24-of-39 for 273 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT) in a 17-6 victory. Stafford played despite torn ligaments in a dislocated right middle finger, which restricted many of his throws. Stafford gained props for the way he endured despite the injury, and in late August he was rewarded with a five-year, $135 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history. Stafford’s $27 million-per-year average tops Derek Carr’s $25 million average. A defense cannot let down against him. Last season, Stafford engineered an NFL-record eight fourth-quarter comebacks. Last week, he did it again, scoring 20 fourth-quarter points to overtake the Cardinals. It was Stafford’s 29th career fourth-quarter comeback.

“It just has to be composure,’’ Olivier Vernon said. “When you’re backed up against a wall, you have all the pressure on you right now. It’s just keeping your composure, trusting in your abilities and making throws. So I think if that’s the ‘it’ that they’re talking about, that’s what he has.’’

Long division: It is never too early to worry about a team fracturing when one side of the ball produces and the other does not. The Giants in 2016 were carried by their defense and that imbalance played out again last week in Dallas. Defensive starters admitted they were surprised they lost despite holding the Cowboys without a touchdown. Asked about an offense/defense split, Jonathan Casillas chuckled and said, “The closest I was to it was when I was in Tampa, but we were just bad all around.’’ Then he grew serious. “I was here two years ago and we were really, really bad on defense, so the least I can do is hold it together for a couple of games for our offense, you know?’’

Giants running back Orleans Darkwa during a Week 1 loss to the CowboysGetty Images

Run and done: In a small sample size, the Giants running backs came up empty in the season opener. Paul Perkins ran it seven times and Orleans Darkwa ran it three times and, in those 10 rushing attempts, neither runner broke a single tackle. Until proven otherwise, this 1-2 punch lacks any semblance of knockout potential. Perkins clearly missed a hole on one well-blocked play. “There’s always opportunities or things I wish I’d done better,’’ said Perkins, who averaged 2.3 yards a carry. “This is one game, it doesn’t discourage us at all.’’

Third and yawn: Immediately after the loss to the Cowboys, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo figured the problem with his unit resided on first down, before he took a closer look. The Cowboys converted eight of their 15 third-down attempts, a big reason why they were able to play keep-away and hog the ball for 34:14. Allowing 19 points should win most games and the Giants were brutal on offense in their opener, but no matter. “As defensive players and coaches, we don’t blame anybody but ourselves for too many plays,’’ Spagnuolo said. “That’s just the way we feel.’’

Paul’s pick

Do you subscribe to the theory that a desperate home team has the advantage over a not-as-desperate road team? Eli Manning & Co. will be better this time around, and if Odell Beckham Jr. can give his team 25 snaps and a handful of meaningful catches, it should be enough. One suggestion: Block some guys up front, fellas.